Monday, 28 October 2013

Subtitles - Just a Little Bit Brighter EP

EP review by jay@thesoundofconfusion.co.uk

This is the sound of James Dean heading to that dead man's curve. It is a world where brothel creepers, quiffs and drainpipes are the uniform, Cream soda and speed are the consumables of choice. Wi-fi is just the sound of static at the end of the dial. All the while you will be unable to resist, be damned to deny the danceability, the groove, to refuse the riot of sonic righteousness that is the lead track off Subtitles latest EP 'Just A Little Bit Brighter': 'High School Confidential'. It is a supernova blast of testifying, stomping rock n' roll delivered down the barrel of a megazoid confetti gun. Not since JSBX fell for those bell-bottoms and Johnny and Dee Dee found Judy did such a song get your ass shakin' and your head spinning.

Riding in on a riff so filthy that you are gonna feel that you have been dragged through a swamp of primordial sludge, 'I'm Gonna Get Spooned By You' coats you in a maniacal, Dickies-esque slap of Dick Dale guitar-swinging glory that shakes you down and strips you naked in less than 90 seconds. Kerpow! Following that is 'You're The One' which is rammed full of mop-topped fury that will leave Long Tall Sally sweaty with rips in her frillies. It is a perfectly, raggedly vicious ode to the girl of the title, and she will be yours after this tramping dervish has finished with her. Then we go out in a true brimstone-fired blaze of glory with 'Cunthair Motel'. It unashamedly pillages Elvis and sends him through a blender, ripping him apart on the most excellently evil sounding guitar and delivering it all on a silver platter filled with lust, love and some good hard fuckin'. Subtitles have given us four songs that are primal, perfectly formed, and above all garagetastically superb. Now, where's the Brylcreem?